Marine Corps Father Banned from Daughter's Graduation Following Lawsuit Against School's Islamic Indoctrination

After Suing Maryland Public School For Teaching Their Daughter HOW TO CONVERT TO ISLAM, USMC Veteran & Father Banned from Daughter’s Graduation

Maryland parents Melissa and John Wood sued the Charles County Public Schools System, the Board of Education of Charles County, and the principal and vice principal of La Plata High School for violating their daughter’s civil rights under U.S. Code 42 (1983). Not only is the school instructing students to learn and perform Islamic rituals, it prohibits students from taking home the textbook in which Islamic ideology is taught. And after Mr. Wood, an 8-year U.S. Marine Corps veteran complained, the school issued a “no trespass” order– from the public school where his daughter attends. And banned him from attending his daughter’s graduation.

Wood claims he fought to defend the freedom of public school education– and yet he and his family have been retaliated against– by the very school his actions and taxpayer dollars support.

John Wood was deployed in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. After serving in the Marine Corps, he became a firefighter and responded to the Pentagon attack on September 11, 2001.

The Woods claim in the lawsuit that the school system and its administrators have repeatedly violated his daughter’s First Amendment rights by promoting “Islam over other faiths, such as Christianity or Judaism.”

And the school is hiding it from the parents.

Their daughter’s 11th grade World History class uses two different textbooks-– one they can take home (excludes Islamic texts) and one they can’t take home (includes Islamic texts).

Their daughter, identified as C.W., along with other students, was assigned homeworkwhich:

“required the students… to profess statements on the teachings and beliefs of Islam in written worksheets as graded homework assignments.”

The public school system, funded by tax dollars, is violating the First Amendment by teaching:

“C.W. and her classmates in 11th grade World History were instructed that ‘Most Muslim’s faith is stronger than the average Christian.’”

The government is violating the First Amendment by establishing a “religion” by instructing its students:

“to read from the text of the Qur’an and to learn and recite the Five Pillars of Islam.

“C.W. also had to profess the Shahada, by claiming, ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.’”

The Woods argue that such indoctrination violates their faith and their civil rights protected under the Constitution. They argue:

“This statement is in direct contradiction to C.W.’s deep-seeded Christian beliefs and heritage that it is sinful to express that there is any other god but the monotheistic Christian God.”

The lawsuit states:

“C.W. and her classmates in 11th grade World History were instructed that the Islamic religion is a fact while Christianity and Judaism are just beliefs. For example that the ‘Qur’an is the word of Allah as revealed to Muhammad in the same way that Jews and Christians believe the Torah and the Gospels were revealed to Moses and the New Testament writers,’ and that Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel who proclaimed to him that there is only one true god.

“C.W. and her classmates in 11th grade World History were instructed from the Qur’an that “Men are the managers of the affairs of women” and that “[r]ighteous women are therefore obedient.” This statement conflicts with Plaintiffs and C.W.’s Christian beliefs and heritage that C.W. is blessed by God with the talents, gifts, and abilities to manage her own affairs and to place her obedience with God.”

Interestingly, common core does not teach the tenants of the Christian faith or require them to read the Bible. Nor does it teach Buddhims or Hinduism or require the reading of their materials.

The school district retaliated by issuing a “no trespass” order to Mr. Woods and discriminated against his daughter, C.W.,

“by removing her from the academic environment of her World History class, relegating her to the student library, and issuing her failing grades on assignments because C.W. refused to deny and insult her Christian beliefs by affirming, for example, that Muslims hold stronger faith convictions than Christians.”

“Plaintiffs John and Melissa Wood objected to their minor child, C.W., being given religious instruction and being indoctrinated in Islam as part of her public high school education.”

In their complaint the Woods argue the school district’s retaliation has caused them:

“irreparable harm, including the loss of their fundamental constitutional rights, entitling them to declaratory and injunctive relief.”

meaningful involvement in the direction of his daughter’s education, saying, “by giving a principal unfettered discretion to ban him – the father of a student – from school grounds without any hearing or opportunity to defend himself because he brought to light the school’s unconstitutional practices.”

It also violates the Fourteenth Amendment and contradicts Supreme Court rulings on the right of the parent to direct the education of their own child.